My Pretty Concubine
by wendybyrd
Summary: Ling learns the meaning of duty. My attempt to make him cool, being a Shang fan. :) Cheesy romance.


Darn

Darn. I guess I'm writing Mulan fic now. That makes what, three fandoms, Pooky?

Well here it is, my attempt to make Ling cool. (Sorry, Shang fan)

Rating: PG, just because no self-respecting fic is G. :P

Description: Ling learns about duty and what being a hero really means. 

**My Pretty Concubine**

By Wendy

Ling followed Ping…er…Mulan quickly as she dashed down a long corridor into the palace, just barely ahead of Yao. Chien Po was struggling to keep up behind them. Ling could hear his friend's soft chanting behind him and rolled his eyes briefly before continuing to watch Pi…Mulan in amazement. She was looking around wildly; what she was searching for Ling couldn't even begin to guess. This was probably another of her crazy schemes. He had a moment of doubt at the determined look on her face, wondering just why he was here anyway. Then he checked himself. 

He knew why he was here, why they were all here, to save the Emperor, and China. It was their privilege and duty, and, most importantly, they would be heroes if Mulan's plan worked. Ling grinned at the thought. Wait until he went back to his village as a hero. He might have gone away as silly, daydreaming Ling but he'd be coming back as the hero of China in all his fine armor—if Mulan's plan worked. _That_ wiped away his grin. 

He skidded to a stop just behind Mulan, who was listening at a door with a frown of concentration. Ling exchanged a look with Yao at that frown, wondering again for a moment why he was following such an odd girl, even if that girl was Ping and had saved their lives not too long ago. Mulan didn't behave at all like a girl should. She'd told them all her reasons, but Ling couldn't imagine any duty that would make him risk sacrificing everything like that. The thought slipped away when Mulan impatiently pushed open the door and stepped inside. 

Yao followed her and Ling stepped in quickly after him when his friend grunted in surprise. Then he froze halfway through the door at the sight before his eyes. There wasn't anything like this back in his village. 

He thought vaguely that the decorations alone must have cost more than his whole village could scrape together in ten years of harvests. But Ling wasn't really interested in the collections of sumptuous silk wall hangings and elaborately painted porcelain vases filling the large room. What truly caught his attention was the women lounging together in several groups, some standing, others draped across fluffy cushions on the floor. The room was full of them, in every size or shape imaginable, and Ling could imagine quite a bit. He blinked in shock and barely noticed when Chien Po crashed into his back. 

The ladies did though. Their giggles and chatter ended abruptly and turned as a group to face the door. They looked insulted, though why they would look insulted Ling didn't know. But he straightened up and he recovered himself enough to flash them a smile. They were all so beautiful; their pale, white skin and brightly painted perfect lips nearly made him sigh dramatically. They were so perfect looking and fragile in their richly colored robes. They were like a dream. Even Chien Po was stunned into silence at the sight of them. Ling took a step forward, wondering what they would think of the possible future heroes of China. He choked when Mulan grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back. 

"They're concubines, Ling," she told him through her teeth. Ling barely heard her, his eyes were traveling quickly, impatiently, around the room, inspecting each face, quite sure that each lady was lovelier than the previous one. Then he forgot to breathe as his eyes fell on one tiny face, peeking shyly over the shoulders of a woman who had risen indignantly to her feet. 

This girl was exquisite. She was everything he had thought a lady would be when he'd dreamed of them back on the farm. Skin paler than the moon, eyes shining like stars, someone worth risking everything for. A girl who would need the protection of a soldier like him. She was so small she made him feel like he was Captain Li, towering over his recruits. The thought made him want to stand by her protectively.

"The _Emperor's _concubines…" Mulan went on in his ear. Ling shook his head, trying to shoo Mulan away like an irritating fly. The girl's eyes were so soft and dark, yet he could see clearly into them all the way across the room. Mulan made a disgusted noise in her throat. "They are his, whether he touches them or not, even after his death, Ling." Her voice softened slightly, but not much. Ling turned to face her finally, still seeing the gentle face of the girl in front of him. 

"What?" he said stupidly. Mulan shook her head and then turned to glare at the woman heading their way. 

"The palace is under attack! Get out of sight unless you plan to be useful!" Mulan shouted fiercely before the woman could say anything. She sounded so warlike and masculine, Ling found himself glancing back at his shy lady. She looked down as modestly as a proper maiden when she saw him watching. The rest of the women hesitated at Mulan's words, obviously not realizing their danger. Yao stepped forward with a growl, echoed surprisingly by Chien Po. "Out, for your own safety! Unless you're going to help!" Mulan ordered firmly. 

Ling looked at his friend again, wondering what kind of help she expected from these gentle ladies. The ladies seemed to be thinking the same thing. They suddenly started shrieking and speeding from their room with their skirts held high above their knees. As much as they women shouldn't be around in this time of danger, Ling was a little surprised to see so many of them flee the room. In a matter of seconds only one girl and the scent of perfume were left in front of them. It was his shy lady. Ling gasped in surprise to see her still there. 

"Don't you know you could be hurt?" he couldn't help asking. Mulan shoved him in the side and strode confidently further into the room. The girl came forward, staring at him from under her long eyelashes as she did. Then she turned to Mulan. 

"How may I help?" she inquired softly, not a trace of fear on her delicately painted face. 

"Yeah, what is this plan of yours?" Yao asked in something close to a growl. Mulan began picking up sashes and other pieces of clothing off the floor. 

"Patience, Yao," Chien Po scolded gently. 

"We have to get inside. And in order to do that, we have to be thought of as harmless," she explained and tossed something at Ling. He caught it absently, staring at the girl. She turned at his look, to stare back at him. "And what is more harmless than a group of women?" Mulan asked with a laugh. The other girl seemed to find that very funny. Ling saw the smile light up her face, slowly curving her cherry-red lips. He felt his own mouth turn up into a smile. 

"I ain't wearin' no dress!" Yao protested loudly. Ling blinked and looked down at the yellow material in his hands. His eyes widened. 

"Not even to save the Emperor?" Mulan asked them all flatly. Ling looked up and met the dark eyes of his shy concubine. She wasn't smiling anymore, but he knew that if he put this dress on, he was going to be silly, foolish Ling in her eyes forever. "Not even to save all of China?" Mulan challenged irritably. Ling flinched at the reminder of his duty. How many would suffer if the Emperor died? He looked over at Yao, and saw Yao already struggling to remove his armor. Noises behind him meant Chien Po was doing the same. 

Ling swallowed dryly and unhooked his breastplate. He winced as his fine armor fell to the floor and felt his cheeks get hot as he realized that the girl was still staring at him. He looked up in sudden annoyance and she immediately closed her eyes and turned her head to the side. The white paint on her face not hiding how pink her ears got with her own blushes.

Ling looked down again as he removed his underclothes and slipped the yellow dress over his head. It somehow got tangled around his head, but he finally smoothed it into place, or into what he thought was into place; despite his boasts, Ling wasn't exactly sure how to even get a woman _out of _her dress. When he looked up again, Mulan was tying Chien Po's sash and Yao was trying to squeeze his feet into tiny slippers. Ling grinned at that, then jumped when warm arms came around him from behind. 

"Your sash, soldier," the girl whispered and Ling stilled. She wrapped it around him but he placed his hand over her tiny, pale one before she could tie it.

"Thanks, but I can do it." Ling tried a cocky grin to cover his embarrassment. The girl came around to stand in front of him. But then she nodded and hurriedly stepped away before he could say anything else. Mulan appeared in his line of vision as he watched the girl walk away. 

"He needs face paint too," she said with a hint of a smile. Ling felt his eyes widen again. 

"Face paint?" he repeated sickly and noticed that Yao's face was pale as milk and that Chien Po's lips and cheeks were the color of ripe, red apples. They were grinning at him malevolently. Ling would have laughed, but then he noticed the brush in Mulan's hand. 

"Your turn, Ling," Yao called out happily. Ling flinched again as he hadn't even facing down the Hun army as Mulan came at him. He closed his eyes when the brush touched his skin and only opened them again when she moved away. He tasted the lip paint and grimaced. Somehow he'd thought it would be sweet. 

"You don't look too bad, Ling," Chien Po commented. Ling wished he had a mirror to see for himself. One appeared in front of him at the thought, held up by a pair of white hands. Ling forgot about his reflection after noticing with an odd feeling of pride that yellow did seem to be his color. He looked down at the girl with the bemused smile still on his face. 

"How do I look?" he asked stupidly and winced. He knew what he looked like, even without the makeup. He was hardly the dream of a beautiful lady. But she smiled widely. The light shining from her eyes was brighter than a thousand stars. She didn't seem to notice that he was in a dress at all. Ling felt the air leave his lungs again. 

"Come on," Mulan was at the door. Chien Po pulled on his arm. Ling shook himself and took a step in the opposite direction. 

"Come on, my pretty concubine," Yao teased and slapped him roughly on the back. Ling turned to glare at him and met Mulan's serious gaze. Ling remembered what she'd said and for the first time, really thought about exactly what it had meant. 

She belonged to the Emperor. Something painful twisted his insides at the thought and Ling took another awkward step toward the doorway. The step was reluctant. The urge to leave the Emperor to the mercy of the Huns was shocking. 

"Wait!" The girl called him back. Ling turned around cautiously, then frowned in confusion when she held out two red apples. Someone had taken a bite out of one of them. She bit her lip nervously while he stared at her, and then quickly slipped each apple down the front of his dress. 

"What?" Ling snapped at her, still thinking of his treasonous thoughts and grabbed her wrists. The move pulled her nearly right up against his chest. Her tiny face was so close to his that he could have kissed her, if he had dared. Surprised at himself for being so rough, he immediately let her go. But she didn't seem very upset. She stayed where she was, and pulled something from her sash. It took Ling a moment to realize that it was her fan. Then she gave him a look that was not at all modest and Ling thought that she had never seemed more beautiful as she did then, which was funny, even though he wasn't laughing. 

"You look beautiful, my brave soldier," she told him in a serious whisper, pressing the fan into his hands. "Fight well."

For a moment, Ling could only gape at her as the meaning of her words sank in. She thought him a hero, in a dress, without armor. And more than that, she thought that he was beautiful. That blush heated his cheeks again, but he ignored it this time. Her eyes were so bright in her pale face, Ling almost asked her to say it again. Then he remembered that she couldn't. She shouldn't have even said it in the first place. She had no right to. And he had no right to ask. His earlier anger returned and he realized that he didn't want to save the Emperor. Then he thought of what would happen if the Huns overran the palace. What would happen to her. 

The girl looked beyond him to the door and stepped away. 

"Ling! We've got to save the Emperor!" Chien Po was excited enough to shout. Ling turned away and went to the door. Mulan and Yao were already running back through the palace. Chien Po was close behind them. They all took it for granted that he would follow them. But Ling held back. She was still watching him; her eyes were filled with something that looked a lot like pride. _You look beautiful, my brave soldier._ He felt the corner of his mouth turn up in his usual grin and felt silly when it made her smile. 

Ling stood up straighter, suddenly feeling as if he were still wearing his armor despite the fact that the girl was standing protectively over where he'd dropped his armor on the floor.He took one last look at her, and then ran out the door after Mulan to save China. 

The End


End file.
